Long and short of phone calls, does it ring a bell?

It’s been over six months since my younger brother came home from Canada, where he lives. Whenever I go to his room, his mobile phone is fixed to his ear. The other day while looking at him, I was reminded of my own set of callers and was amused to recall their sheer variety.

Of them, I know whose call I can take anytime, considering their to-the-point-talk norm and whose call I’ve to avoid at a certain time for the lengthy chats they always indulge in. Whenever my octogenarian grandmother calls from her village home, she disconnects the call within seconds. All she asks is if I am fine and if I’ve had my meals. As soon as my answers reach her, I hear the beep sound, never giving me or anyone who calls her up the opportunity to ask the same questions. Sometimes, I have something new to share but as I commence to unfold, the beep sound stands between us. I dial right away and protest, “I was still talking ….” But I understand, she is old.

There are also those with whom you like to talk, but they can’t give up multi-tasking. Take my busy aunt for instance, who runs a clothing boutique from home. Even if she is talking to me, she continues to give instructions to her employees, sometimes scolding along. I may suggest to her that we can talk later, but she never wants to disconnect.

Maninder, a friend from school, who now lives in New Zealand, amuses me, when he takes a long pause as I just finish speaking. And I have to follow up, “Hello! Are you still there?” Another pause and he replies, “Yes, I was listening, was just analysing what you just said.” Fortunately, he is not a TV news reporter.

When I dial my US-based aunt, she starts sharing spiritual stories. Though I find them inspiring, as she keeps pulling them up, one after the other, it takes so long that I have to find excuses to end the call. An appointment or somebody’s at the door works.

Other than this aunt, long calls take place also with my navy officer friend, whose mind carries many travel stories, and no wonder, every time we speak; we go on shuttling from one corner of the globe to the other, swapping our globetrotting experiences, besides our discussions on realisations about life through travel. Because of my zeal for travel, I can go on talking to him.

Thankfully, I’m no mobile addict, as I connect even with my favourite callers after several weeks, sometimes months. Longer the gap, richer the conversations turn out. Which is why my phone often reflects missed calls, and as I return calls, I’m reprimanded too, “Why don’t you ever take your calls?” I keep my excuses ready, effortlessly flagging them, from the phone being charged in the other room to it being on silent mode. At times, I switch off as well, when I want to be 100% present somewhere.

Therefore, cell phone addicts surprise me, who don’t spare the mobile, even while driving, dining, meeting someone or in the toilet. There are also those, who don’t mind talking over the phone loud and clear, sharing all their personal tales and details even at public places.

I don’t deny the plethora of benefits of mobiles, but addiction is a concern. A WhatsApp message sent recently by a friend makes for a perfect conclusion. “When the phone was tied to a wire, we were free. When the phone got free from the wire, we got tied to it.” It perfectly describes our present scenario. rameshinder.sandhu@gmail.com

The writer is an Amritsar-based freelance contributor